Gates no longer an elite tight end

Antonio Gates was held to three catches for 31 yards in the Chargers' Week 14 win over the Steelers.

Gates hasn't had over 50 yards or scored since Week 9 at Tampa Bay. He's had four or fewer receptions in 10 of his 12 games this season.

Gates' latest dud wasn't due to lack of opportunity. He ended up with eight targets -- only Danario Alexander had more with 11 -- but dropped a deep ball on a route up the sideline and couldn't separate from linebacker Lawrence Timmons over the middle. A few years ago, leaving a linebacker in single coverage over the middle against Gates equaled insanity.

Now, something he used to do with ease -- make defense pay for single coverage -- has proven difficult. At very least, he's been inconsistent. He showed more explosiveness over the past couple of years, even while dealing with a bothersome foot injury. Now that extra burst appears gone.

Gates is still getting double-teamed at times, which means defenses still respect him. They used to fear him.

It's only a matter of time before they realize he no longer requires a double-team.

He's still a serviceable target and an able blocker, but 2004 or 2009 Gates isn't walking out of the tunnel anymore.

It's been a great decade though. One that will likely have him headed to Canton, Ohio to give a speech one day. Over the last ten years, only Atlanta's Tony Gonzalez and Dallas' Jason Witten can be mentioned in the same breath when discussing the top tight ends in the NFL.

Gonzalez, who played most of his career as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs, has turned into the Jerry Rice of the tight end position, collecting 1,230 receptions and 102 touchdowns across his 16 seasons. Witten just recently became the all-time leading receiver in Cowboys’ history, and now has 788 receptions over ten years.

Gates, meanwhile, has been the weapon of choice for Drew Brees and Philip Rivers over the last decade in San Diego, tallying a team-record 634 receptions to go along with 80 touchdowns, one shy of Lance Alworth's team-high 81. He's also 1,353 yards shy of Alworth's career yardage mark, which will take him at least two more seasons to catch.

According to pro-football-reference.com, Gates is currently the 17th best tight end in fantasy football, which means he's not a starter. I don't see much changing going forward.